


Lost Loves

by ByTheAngell (SomeLittleInfamy)



Series: Tumblr Prompts [12]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-04
Updated: 2018-08-04
Packaged: 2019-06-21 17:44:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15563097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomeLittleInfamy/pseuds/ByTheAngell
Summary: A 3 am phone call over a broken heart.





	Lost Loves

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr prompt: “It’s three in the morning.” With any combination of warlocks. (Though she isn't mentioned by name, I don't think it's a stretch to imagine Etta is still the last love Magnus references before Alec, so I imagine this fitting into show!verse as well as the book verse <3)

The phone rings for a solid minute before Tessa even realizes that the sound is coming from across the room and isn’t part of her quickly fading dream; a dream she’s enjoying quite a bit before the constant chiming of the telephone snatches it away from her. She does her best to ignore it in the hopes of it stopping on its own but is only able to wait a few seconds before changing her mind and moving to get up. After all, it’s late (or is it early at this point?) and if someone is trying to contact her at this hour it has to be important.  

She swings her legs over the side of the bed and makes her way slowly over to the table holding the phone, barely making a sound even though her bare feet shuffle low against the thick carpet beneath her. The hem of her powder blue nightgown brushes against her bare ankles as she comes to a stop in front of the phone, lifting it to her ear. 

“Hello?” Tessa’s voice is rough with the first words spoken that morning. She listens to silence for a moment, followed by the distinct sound of someone sniffling and the faintest hint of what almost sounds like a whimper. It’s too quiet to be certain. 

“Hey.” The voice that answers is barely above a whisper but she knows it instantly. 

“Magnus?” 

“Yeah.” 

Well, this is certainly going nowhere fast. He sounds distant… almost detached. It’s unnerving, Tessa thinks, because she’s never heard him like this before. There’s more silence. Perhaps he just needs a push to start talking about whatever prompted the call. 

“Magnus, what’s wrong?” She picks up the base of the phone in her hands, cradling the receiver against her ear with her shoulder as she walks it over to a nearby chair. The cord attaching it to the wall drags behind her, just barely reaching across the room as she sits with her legs folded underneath her. 

“Nothing. I’m fine, sorry. I shouldn’t have called--” 

“But you  _ did  _ call,” she’s quick to interject. “And it’s three in the morning. Something’s wrong. What is it?” 

More silence. A few heavy breaths, another sniffle. If he isn’t still crying it hasn’t been long since he stopped.  

“...Magnus?” Her voice is soft, hesitant in fear of what he might say is wrong. Was there an attack? Had something happened to Catarina, or Ragnor? James or Lucie? 

The voice on the other end cracks. “She left me.” 

She hears him breaking down, and it breaks her in turn. She isn’t expecting that - things with Etta seemed to be going so well. Magnus told her once that he would stay by her side for as long as she wanted him there, and she knew that he meant for the rest of her mortal life. Clearly she didn’t feel the same. It wasn’t something Tessa experienced personally - Will grew old by her side, she was with him up until the moment of his death. Magnus told her she was lucky - not a day passed that she wasn’t grateful for the life and love she experienced through Will and their family together. Her life as a warlock was relatively young, however - she knew that Magnus already lived through centuries of love and loss. This was nothing new for him, and yet each time seemed to hurt him more than the last, as if instead of growing callous against loss each new one only served to leave him more raw. 

“Oh, Magnus.” She says softly, trying to think of the right words to say. Nothing seems like enough. 

“I should’ve seen this coming, but I thought she might-- I hoped--” he sighs, words slurring together slightly as he continues. “I hoped she might change her mind, but the signs were all there. They started weeks ago... I suppose it was only a matter of time. It always is.” 

“I’m so sorry.” 

“Me too.” Another pause. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have called. I had a few cocktails, and I didn’t stop to think... Go get some sleep, Tessa. We can talk tomorrow, maybe? If you’re free?” 

He can’t see it but Tessa shakes her head sharply from side to side, already standing from the chair. Magnus is always there for her; he's always there for _everyone_. He had the strength and the experience and the wisdom of ages - she hadn’t imagined there might be a moment the roles are reversed and she could be the one to help him instead. “Give me 2 minutes, I’m coming over.” She says suddenly, looking around for her clothes. 

“No, no. It’s late. Just go back to bed, I’ll be fine.” He protests.    
  
“Magnus Bane, you had best open a portal for me in the next two minutes or I’m sending Catarina and Ragnor over instead.” She doesn’t imagine that would be the worst thing, but there has to be a reason he called her and not them. She suspects he needs to wallow a bit right now, and neither of them are the type to sit back and allow that self-indulgent pity happen. She doesn’t want to overstep, but she also doesn’t want to leave Magnus alone like this. If he won’t accept her company she’d seek out whoever’s he would. 

Thankfully, she doesn’t have to find out if she would follow through with her threat or not. 

“Two minutes.” He agrees, and she thinks she hears the hint of a smile behind his words as she hangs up the phone and gets ready for what’s bound to be a very long morning. 

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [Tumblr](http://bytheangell.tumblr.com)!


End file.
